


Downpour

by IggyBlue



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: DBZ, F/M, bulma/vegeta - Freeform, i'm new to this idk, slice-of-life, some character study of Vegeta, vegeta/bulma - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-22
Updated: 2015-09-22
Packaged: 2018-04-22 21:26:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4851071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IggyBlue/pseuds/IggyBlue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes things go wrong, that's to be expected. But that doesn't mean it's easy being Bulma. And despite being surrounded by people, it can be lonely, too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Downpour

**Author's Note:**

> Just something I threw together in an afternoon. AU post-Cell but no Trunks (yet) because I always see pre-Trunks Bulma as a bit immature and vain which this fic required. Got a long Vegeta mpreg (le gasp!) in the works if anyone's interested. Let me know. Thanks!

Tonight was the night.

Capsule Corporation's Annual General Meeting had finally come upon them. It had been a year where they'd struggled to keep up with the pace they'd set for themselves in past years - things just didn't go their way this year, but they still came out on top. The AGM was Bulma's chance to reinstill confidence in the board members and stakeholders, because the business needed the full support of everyone involved. A chain was only as strong as its weakest link, Dr. Briefs would remind her. And as the face of Capsule Corp with a reputation to uphold, tonight was a very important night.

The AGM was to be held at the Capsule Corp premises, as it always was. This would be followed by a friendly dinner and drinks arrangement set up in the largest room on the site. Dr. Briefs believed that their company should be like a family - and as Bunny always insisted, a family that ate together stayed together.

Her parents were really full of one-liners. But it was up to her to bring it all together and align everybody into a direction where their mutual goals would be met. And this was the night to make that happen.

No matter how many times they did this, the butterflies would always appear in Bulma's gut in the hours leading up to the meeting. Attendants, organisers and helpers had the building abuzz with activity, bringing arrangements together in preparation for the guests to arrive. That there was so much going on around her didn't usually bother Bulma, but tonight it had her head in a daze.

On top of that, the sky had turned from blue to a foreboding kind of grey. The event was to be held inside, so it was fine, but Bulma always felt anxious when the weather was bad. Particularly thunderstorms - perhaps it reminded her of the times when explosive battles were taking place, and the helplessness she felt among it all. Among the power of nature, and the electricity that came from an imbalance of good and evil.

Vegeta had flown off hours ago, he'd been terribly bothered by the increased numbers of people flitting about the halls, impatient to have the day passed. Bulma knew he'd been uncomfortable being surrounded by so many. He'd come to tolerate certain amounts of people, having lived within the compound for how many years now, but was still unable to cope with some things that normal human life entailed.

He didn't like crowds.

But she'd expected him to leave, it was better than having him whining and moaning all afternoon, or even worse - making a scene. That just would not do at all. In fact, it was a relief to have him gone for the day.

All that was left was to make herself gorgeous (more than was usual, of course) with the right outfit and a touch of makeup. Now if the weather would clear up, everything would be perfect.

~ ~ ~

"Ladies and gentlemen, stakeholders and board - welcome to Capsule Corporation's Annual General Meeting." Bulma's voice boomed through the hall, amplified with their decked out sound system. Many dozens of people filled the large room, seated in rows directed to a platform at the front - with a whiteboard, screen projection, microphone and Bulma. Others would come up to speak later, but she was the chairwoman and would lead the night's discussions.

And so a few hours passed, the sun set as the crowd inside listened intently to the details of what Capsule Corp had achieved in the past year and aimed to achieve in the coming one.

Then it was time for the dinner. The crowd had lit up with excitement at the mention of food after a long evening of intensive discussion, note-taking and so forth.

And everything went well, the audience and particularly the board members had seemed to absorb and reflect the director's enthusiasm and confidence from the meeting, and the mood was upbeat in the hall, pleasant chatter reverberated among the walls of Capsule Corp.

A sudden deep **BOOM** of thunder had people's conversations lull, then return. Bulma, for a reason she didn't understand, began to feel uneasy. Even though everything had been fine. She'd done well and represented the company ideally. Right? She did great. Looking for the reassuring presence of her mother, she weaved through the crowd in search of Bunny. As daft at the woman could be, she was a great mother and always made Bulma feel better.

"Hey, you." A chilly voice came.

She turned and her stomach dropped. A past senior employee had gotten in somehow, one that the company had parted with on unfriendly terms. This particular manager had abused her position in the company, had taken advantage of the knowledge she'd been afforded after being placed as an interim manager following the retirement of a senior.

For breaking the rules of her employment contract, she'd been fired - but had been unsatisfied with the havoc she'd wreaked upon her own team. She'd gone so far as to speak to various media outlets, telling her biased side of the situation in order to bring down the sterling reputation of the Capsule Corporation. In fact, she'd named Bulma personally in her attacks on the company, saying she was corrupt and stole employees' ideas and claimed them as her own.

Just a bunch of bull, but it had made her furious and embarrassed and a lot of other things. Reputation was difficult to build but easy to fell.

Bulma had been stunned into silence at seeing her there, so the ex-employee continued. "Didn't think you'd be hearing from me again did you?"

Fury blazed in her chest, but she remained calm, dialling security on her phone. "Hi, we need a removal please."

"Too scared to face me yourself, huh? Have to call your baboons?" The woman's loud voice had drawn people's attention - a small circle was forming around the two. Bulma's cheeks burned. She had to stay cool.

"Firing me was the worst decision you've made in your life, Bulma. I will never go away. Now if only you'd have kept me in the position I deserve none of this would have happened, would it? That was really dumb of you, _genius_."

Bulma eyed her down.

"And you can't even deny it! Look at you, you're stumped!" The woman laughed. "Oh dear, you really should have kept me on your side."

Security arrived, and went to escort the woman peacefully. She seemed to comply, but at the last moment turned and threw her glass of red wine on Bulma. She gasped, looking at her ruined outfit and feeling many pairs of eyes on her. This was mortifying. 

The woman was pulled away, screaming curses and just generally making a terrible scene.

Dr. Briefs arrived at her side, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You did the best thing, Bulma. Good job. She's out of line and will be hearing from our lawyers yet again." He said it loud enough that those around them heard. 

Bunny then appeared and rushed to Bulma. "Oh dear! Let's get you changed into a fresh new outfit. That one is so out of date, sweety!" Bunny led her to her room. As soon as the door closed, Bulma burst out in tears. The night was ruined.

She sat heavily on her bed with her head in her hands. Bunny sat beside her and did the best she could to console the young woman. "These things happen, my dear," She spoke quietly. "Sometimes you do everything right and things still happen. You did the best you could."

"I know, it's just," Bulma managed through her tears, "Frustrating. Everything was going so well."

"I know," Bunny cooed, rubbing Bulma's arm.

~ ~ ~ 

In time Bulma got herself together and changed. About twenty minutes had passed since the incident, and Dr. Briefs knocked at her door. "Bulma darling? Can I come in?"

"Okay dad." She called.

Dr. Briefs stepped inside. "Are you ready to go back out honey? I know what happened was terrible, but letting it get the best of you would be worse. Show everyone you're strong."

He was right. So she did, rejoined the party like nothing had happened at all. But she was now hyper-aware of people's gazes, whispers - that humiliating occurrence had no doubt been recounted through the entirety of the crowd in murmurs by now.

The evening wore on, and she kept her head high and her words confident through it until an acceptable time came to slip away, when many had left for the night.

Two dozen or so people remained, most deep in conversation with each other, incident apparently forgotten entirely. It was getting late and no doubt they would leave soon too.

Bulma stepped outside the premises for some air. The night was chilly, the breeze still blowed, and by now it had started pouring.

It looked like Bulma felt inside.

Her facade crumbling, her face screwed up and she couldn't stop the tears that came. It had been a long evening, and a difficult year. Not wanting to be seen, she wandered through the rain around the side of the building where surely nobody would see her.

She flopped down on the ground, leaning against the building, and sobbed.

~ ~ ~

Footsteps approached. Oh no. Surely her face looked a mess, and she was drenched. This was absolutely no way to be seen as the head of the Corporation. But the steps were headed for her and they weren't going away.

She couldn't look. Didn't want to concede defeat. The person sat beside her.

Raindrops that had been pelting down harshly on her suddenly ceased. She was warm and dry. Huh? She looked up, and Vegeta was sitting next to her, firing up his ki enough to surround them both. He didn't turn to her, just sat there, quiet, relaxed against the building.

Her chest still constricted painfully. She couldn't help but curl in on herself again, hugging her knees and looking through tears at the grass in front of her. She cried for a little more, but it eased off. The worst of what she was feeling had been drained from her.

She wiped pitifully at her face, finally ready to speak up. "I'm so stupid for crying, right? What could possibly be so important? Life goes on, right?" She smiled weakly at Vegeta, but he simply shook his head, expression still. Brows not creased, lips not turned to a frown. Just neutral.

She sniffled. "Well it is right, it's stupid," She paused, clarifying, "I'm stupid." 

He finally bit. "Okay, what happened?"

She exhaled heavily. "Just, it's been a long year. And things were going fine until...." She sighed. "I don't really wanna talk about it. Things just didn't go my way and I feel so stupid. I can't even tell them all what I think. I can't be honest because that would mean compromising professionally. I can't do that, in my position. It sucks. And it's embarrassing." She admitted.

He nodded, acknowledging her. He glanced at her, meeting her eyes, then away.

She took a few moments to breathe, looking at how the heavy rain around them fizzled into nothingness at the edges of his ki. She'd expected him to chastise her for being so upset at something that really didn't matter. For being so wrapped up in her tiny human world. But he hadn't. She looked at him again. He met her gaze. "Thanks." She said quietly. 

He nodded. 

She laughed feebly at herself. "I must look a mess right now."

"I've seen worse." Was his gruff response. This time she laughed genuinely. She shuffled back to lean against the wall next to Vegeta, and continued watching the storm around them.

"What did you get up to today?" She asked.

"Chaos. Murder. Ruination." He smirked slightly, the same way he always did when he made a funny.

She giggled at him lightly, responding jokingly. "I expect nothing less."

A few minutes passed, a lull; the sky was impossibly black with the shroud of night and the thick clouds as well. Rain still fell heavily around them.  
After some time sitting there together in amicable silence, Bulma's deeper thoughts drifted gently from her mouth. "Sometimes when I'm having problems, and I look at you, I think about all that you've been through and I feel guilty for being upset at my own situation. I think of all the crazy challenges you've met with success, the things you've survived. And it makes me think I have no right to be sad about the things I have to deal with. Because nothing I have to face would even hold a candle to your past. " She knew he constantly struggled with his own perceived failures, discounting all the things he'd achieved. He was focussed to a fault, not unlike herself.

When she finally looked at him, he was looking back at her. His gaze was intense but not malicious. He finally responded. "What I've had to deal with isn't something by which you need to gauge your own experience."

She nodded in acknowledgement. That was a fair response. "I think a lot of you, is all."

He looked down at the grass, expression still open.

"Do you ever feel lonely, Vegeta?" She asked meekly. She knew this might be pushing it.

"What does that mean?"

She paused. "To feel completely alone, even with people around you. And to long for the company of someone like-minded. To feel that no-one understands." With that, she realised that it was kind of a silly question. He was probably the most solitary person she'd ever met.

He looked up at the night sky. He couldn't see the stars through the thick cloud above them. "I suppose you could say that." He admitted.

"I feel that way, sometimes, too." She responded. Of all the people in the world, it was an alien that seemed to understand her. Her mouth quirked at the irony. "I'm so lucky to have you around." With that, she rested her head on his shoulder, and felt a large arm reluctantly wrap around her as the rain continued to fall around them.


End file.
